


Growing Up

by faintresonance



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Future, Children, F/F, Family, Gen, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-05-16 16:26:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19321834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faintresonance/pseuds/faintresonance
Summary: Hikawa Suzue has finally entered high school. Is it time for her to change?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A while ago, [ktsushade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktsushade/profile) and I considered the idea of SayoTsugu maybe having kids one day, and from that idea, their daughter Suzue was born! Quite literally, in a way. Thank you for the inspiration!
> 
> The basic premise is that Sayo and Tsugumi got married and had a child in their late twenties, so we're about 25 years into the future.
> 
> This is kind of an introductory work for Suzue's character, and it's going to consist of several chapters. I hope you like her as much as I do. Enjoy!

Despite only having entered high school a few short weeks ago, Hikawa Suzue had already adjusted fairly well to her new environment. Her performance in class was satisfactory, and she had made a few friends. She did not get lost in the hallways and corridors of the school quite as often as before, either, which felt like something of an accomplishment; Suzue seemed to have no sense of direction whatsoever.

“Su-zu-chan!” An energetic girl’s voice resounded in the hallway, followed by the prompt arrival of one Nakamura Chiaki, her classmate and the first friend she had made at this school. The unfortunate nickname she had called her by, “Suzu”, seemed to be popular among those who knew her, though the girl in question had yet to understand why. It was barely any shorter than her actual name, and, more importantly, it was embarrassing.

Suzue did not turn around and instead waited for Chiaki to come to a halt in front of her, wearing a big, flashy grin that seemed to be plastered to her face most of the time. Chiaki was a short girl and most people would have assumed her to be a middle school student, had it not been for the uniform she was wearing. Her bright pink hair, braided on either side of her head today, did not do much to change that impression

“Nakamura-san. Hello.” She greeted the other girl with a curt nod. Suzue herself was not particularly tall - she would have described her height as average. Much like her brown hair and chestnut colored eyes, it did not make her stand out. At all. Even so, there was a considerable difference in height between the two, and she looked down at Chiaki as she waited for her classmate to speak.

“So cold, Suzu-chan! I thought I told you to call me Chii-chan, like everyone else does! Aren’t we best friends?” Chiaki whined dramatically, suddenly clinging to Suzue’s upper arm as she looked up at her friend with her best impression of puppy dog eyes.

Suzue heaved an exasperated sigh and simply started walking towards the courtyard at a slow pace, practically dragging the other girl with her. For an instant, it seemed like Chiaki was going to pout, but it hadn’t been more than a few steps before she disentangled herself from the taller brunette and started walking beside her instead, hands behind her back, flashing a bright grin once more.

This had become almost a daily lunchtime ritual in the weeks since they had both entered Hanasakigawa Girls' High School, and though Suzue did not quite understand Chiaki, and though it may have seemed to most others as if she wanted nothing more than to be rid of her, she liked the energetic girl and rather enjoyed her company.

“And I thought I had told you not to call me.. that. Multiple times. My name is Suzue. Su-zu-e. Hikawa-san, if that’s easier for you.” Despite the harsh words, she was struggling to hide a small smile. Friendly banter like this was pleasant every now and then.

“Oho, is that a smile I’m seeing? What happened to the cool Suzu-chan who makes even the second-years flee in terror with so much as a single gaze?” Chiaki, now walking sideways, tilted her head and watched her friend, obviously waiting for some sort of reaction.

Suzue’s face turned several shades of red all at once. “Very funny”, she mumbled, as she opened one of the doors that led outside and held it open for the pink-haired jokester.

“Though at least I’m not breathing fire this time, so I suppose that can be called progress. Now come on, it’s time for lunch.”

Chiaki let out a short giggle at that remark, and as soon as she had passed through the door, Suzue followed her outside into the gentle March weather.

* * *

They were sitting together in the courtyard, enjoying what would have been a quiet lunch on a nice spring day - if Chiaki didn’t prefer to spend more time reporting her latest adventures than actually eating, that is, and with a multitude of gestures to emphasize her point, no less. She was talking about her family this time: Chiaki had two brothers, both younger than her, and judging from her tales, it seemed that at home, she actually behaved like an older sister.

“How odd”, Suzue thought with a hint of a smile, while unwrapping the bright yellow cloth that covered her bento box. She opened the container and, betraying every expectation that a casual observer might have held, started beaming as soon as she took in the lunch that had been prepared for her.

“Suzu-chaaan! Are you paying atten .. tion .. did something good happen? You look like you just discovered an abandoned ice cream truck in your front yard or something.” Chiaki peered at her curiously, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly.

It took a moment for Suzue to react to her friend’s question, but once she finally seemed to have processed the situation, she started blushing again, though a soft, childlike smile remained on her face when she looked up at Chiaki.

“No! I mean .. yes. I was distracted by the lunch mama prepared for me.”

A small group of girls passed by at this moment, third-years, by the look of it, and one of them stopped to look at Suzue, sneering. “‘Mama’? Are you sure you’re at the right school? This isn’t the elementary division, you know.” Without waiting for a response, she left to catch up to her friends, seemingly amused by her own joke.

“Butting into other people’s conversations is not very nice, you know! Maybe you’d know that if you’d listened to *your* mama!” Chiaki stuck out her tongue at the girl’s back before turning back to Suzue, shaking her head. “Just ignore her. Dumb people will be dumb.”

Suzue, meanwhile, was looking down at her lunch with a distraught look on her face. After a minute or two, she muttered something under her breath and slowly, methodically started packing up her bento box.

“Nakamura-san, if you’ll excuse me. I just remembered something I have to take care of.”

The brunette got up from the bench they had both been sitting on, straightened her skirt and, after picking up her bag, started to make her way back towards the main building.

“Suzu-chan, wait! Suzu .. chan .. “

Abandoned by the side of the courtyard, Chiaki contemplated getting up and following after her friend, but ultimately, she decided against it. It seemed like the girl might need some time to herself, and besides, she still had her own lunch to finish.

“Thank you for the food!”, she exclaimed, maybe a little too forcefully, and resumed her solitary meal.


	2. Doubt

“I’m home!”

Suzue called out her usual greeting after she’d unlocked the door to a modest apartment on the third floor, marked only by a small brass plate displaying the name “Hikawa”.

“Suzue-chan! Welcome home!” Hikawa Tsugumi, a gentle smile brightening her features, stepped out of the living room to greet her. With her chestnut hair and soft brown eyes, she looked a lot like Suzue, though maybe it was more appropriate to say that Suzue looked a lot like her - she was Tsugumi’s daughter, after all.

“Your mother left for work a while ago, and I was about to go shopping for dinner. Do you want to go with me?”

Tsugumi was referring to her wife, Hikawa Sayo, who was the third member of their small family. Suzue seemed to consider the question for a moment.

“To the supermarket?”

“Yes! They’re having a sale today, so I thought I’d try making that grilled salmon dish again, the one you liked so much the other day! Maybe we can bake some cookies for dessert, too. What do you think?” Tsugumi was still smiling, and she seemed genuinely happy at the thought of spending time with her daughter.

Suzue finally nodded, displaying a small smile of her own. After setting her bento box down on the kitchen counter, she promptly turned around to step back outside.

“I’d like that. Let’s go.”

They made their way to the nearby supermarket together, doing their best to avoid the crowds of students on their way home from school. Those seemed to be only growing with every step they took towards the train station, however, so for the most part, it was a futile effort. Tsugumi asked Suzue about her day at school, and while the girl did tell her mother about an upcoming exam in Japanese literature and a particularly difficult English quiz, she neglected to mention what had happened at lunch.

Once they arrived at the store, the two started gathering the contents of Tsugumi’s grocery list in a practiced routine, with Tsugumi reading items off the list and Suzue collecting them from the shelves, but they soon stopped at a display for a particular brand of cookies.

“Your mother really likes this brand. Do you mind if I browse for a moment, Suzue-chan?”

“No, I don’t mind.” Suzue shook her head and patiently waited next to the display, watching with a smile as Tsugumi checked the individual boxes, humming quietly to herself.

While she was waiting, the events from earlier resurfaced in Suzue’s mind. She thought about how much time she spent with Tsugumi, how she always stayed by her side in public and how that might be perceived by the people around them, and suddenly, she wasn’t quite sure how to behave anymore. It seemed like the girl had reached some sort of conclusion when she eventually took a step forward.

“I’ll go pick up some of the other ingredients in the meantime. Could you hand me the list?” 

She hesitated for just a heartbeat.

“..Tsugumi-san?”

Since Tsugumi was facing the cookie display, Suzue couldn’t see the shock and surprise that flashed across her features when her daughter addressed her in such an unfamiliar way. The brunette hesitated for a moment, waiting until she managed to regain her composure.

“Of course! Thank you for your help, Suzue-chan.” She turned around and offered the list to her daughter, now smiling again as she usually would. This time, it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Suzue accepted the small piece of paper and quickly made her way to a different part of the store, leaving Tsugumi to try and make sense of what had just happened.

* * *

Hikawa Sayo, reading glasses perched halfway down her nose, was reading a book about the basics of accounting when her wife, who was laying in bed next to her, suddenly let out a heavy sigh.

“Sayo-san, do you think Suzue-chan sees me as a mother?”

Sayo blinked once, twice and finally a third time before she turned her head to look at Tsugumi, with a look of complete bewilderment on her face.

“Where is this coming from, Tsugumi-san?”

With a frown, she put down her book and reached out to take her wife’s left hand into her right, gently intertwining their fingers, putting their matching wedding rings on display. It had been Sayo’s idea to wear them on sides opposite to each other, and while she couldn’t remember whatever fabricated reason her younger, flustered self had given at the time, she still loved the thought of the silver bands touching every time they held hands.

Tsugumi squeezed Sayo’s hand weakly in return. “It’s probably really stupid, but.. when we went out to buy groceries for dinner today, she called me .. Tsugumi-san. Suzue-chan has never called me anything but ‘mama’ before, but maybe it was just a habit? Maybe she just got used to you always calling me that when she was little, and now she started thinking about it, and realized that she doesn’t think of me like that. Do you think something happened at school? She barely even touched the bento I made for her..”

Listening quietly, Sayo regarded her wife as she started to approach increasingly negative conclusions and shrunk into her large, fluffy pillow. She did not interrupt her, but instead paid attention to every word, and when Tsugumi finally trailed off and it looked like she was about to cry, Sayo gently, but firmly, squeezed the brunette’s hand.

“I do not know what Suzue might have been thinking when she addressed you in that way, Tsugumi-san. Your concerns are valid, of course, and though I do not think that any of them are the cause for her behavior, I will be sure to talk to Suzue about the matter.”

Sayo brushed her thumb across the back of Tsugumi’s hand and looked directly into her eyes.

“What I do know, however, is that you are a wonderful mother, and I will allow nobody in this world to dispute that fact. Not even you. You have done a wonderful job raising our daughter, and there is nobody I would rather see in your place. Not as a mother, not as a wife and not as a lover.”

She thought about all the times she had witnessed Suzue looking at Tsugumi with eyes full of love. She considered their daughter’s excitement when she got to spend time with Tsugumi, be it shopping for groceries or preparing a meal. But there would be no point if Sayo were the one to tell Tsugumi those things.

“I love you, Tsugumi-san. And I am absolutely certain that Suzue does, as well.”

Tsugumi wiped a few stray tears from her eyes with the back of her free hand. As she listened to Sayo’s words, she finally allowed herself a small, reluctant smile.

“I love you too, you know. A lot.” She squeezed Sayo’s hand that was still grasping her own, and leaned over to share a gentle kiss with the woman she loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SayoTsugu have entered the building. Thank you for reading!


	3. A Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayo decides to sit down and have a talk with her daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again~
> 
> We're about halfway there now, I think. There should be another 3 chapters coming after this one.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the read!

The next day was a Saturday, and when Suzue came home from her morning classes, much to her surprise, she wasn’t alone in the apartment.

“Suzue. Welcome home.” Sayo was sitting on the couch, fiddling with her electric guitar. Judging by the sounds it was making and the small device placed on the table in front of her, she was currently tuning it.

Suzue simply stood there and watched Sayo with fascination for almost a full minute, before she remembered to use her words.

“Ah .. I’m home.” She blushed ever so slightly. “Hello, mother. Is that the guitar you use when you play with Roselia? You don’t usually bring it home with you.” Suzue tried to act casual, but the excitement in her voice betrayed her calm exterior. The fact that she was fidgeting with the strap of her bag probably didn’t help, either.

Watching her daughter make such an effort to conceal her enthusiasm almost made Sayo laugh, reminding her of someone from a long time ago, but another part of her felt a pang of sadness at the thought. Did she feel the need to hide that part of herself from her parents? Eventually, she settled for a gentle smile.

“You almost make it sound as if we still filled concert venues the way that we used to. But it is indeed the very same instrument. I was feeling a little nostalgic, so I brought it home with me from the studio last night. Will you sit with me for a while?”

Barely a moment had passed before Suzue nodded, setting down her bag near the kitchen counter and taking a seat on the couch next to her mother. She wore quite the smile herself now, and her eyes were downright sparkling with excitement.

“Play something for me?”

Sayo knew better than to tease her daughter for the sudden eagerness she displayed. This was something that she wanted to encourage, and she would not achieve that by making fun of Suzue for being honest. So she simply took one of her picks off the table and started plucking an old melody.

The song that her mother played was something Suzue hadn’t heard in years. In fact, it wasn’t anything connected to Roselia at all. She remembered how Tsugumi had taught her to play this very melody on the piano when she had barely been old enough to reach its pedals with her little feet. They had spent countless hours in front of the keys together, with Suzue constantly getting distracted by all the sounds they could make, and Tsugumi patiently watching over her the entire time. After weeks of practice, weeks filled with warmth and music and love, they had proudly presented the results to Sayo, who had been busy with work during most of their practice sessions. That had been the first time Suzue had seen her mother cry. Tsugumi had later reassured her that those had been tears of happiness.

When Sayo finished her rendition of the piece, Suzue was smiling fondly.

“I .. haven’t heard that melody in a while. Thank you for reminding me of it, mother.”

Sayo quietly set down the guitar in the stand next to her. “I know that you cherish the time you spend with your mama very much, Suzue. Please make sure that she knows, as well. I fear that sometimes, it might be rather easy for her to forget.”

Suzue lowered her gaze. “Is it okay for me to spend so much time with her? I’m in high school now, and all of the other kids seem to be spending most of their time with friends, doing club activities, singing at karaoke, getting snacks after school and .. going out, things like that. I spend most of my time studying and doing things with you and mama.”

“I will not deny my surprise at how much you seem to enjoy spending time with your family.” Sayo shuffled a little closer and covered one of her daughter’s hands with her own. “It is, however, a welcome surprise, and it makes me glad to know that you do. If it is my opinion that you want to hear, then let me tell you that you should spend your time doing something you enjoy. If that means spending time with friends, we will support you. If it means focusing on school, we will support you. And if you find something else that captures your interest, we will support you. But if what you want to do is to simply spend time with your family, then we would love nothing more than to have you with us.”

She lowered her voice considerably, and in what was almost a whisper, she told Suzue: “And if they make fun of you for it, then they are fools. And you have no obligation to tolerate the presence of fools. Let them talk, and prove them wrong by simply being happy.”

With a small, but warm smile, Sayo gently squeezed her daughter’s hand before getting up from the couch. Suzue looked up at her.

“Do you really think that?”

Her mother simply nodded. A small sigh escaped from Suzue’s lips.

“I don’t know if my classmates pretend not to like their parents, or if they really don’t. I don’t understand why everyone acts so differently now. I don’t understand any of it. High school is so complicated, mother.”

Sayo hummed quietly. “Are you certain that it is everyone who has changed, Suzue, or is it possible that you are allowing a small number of experiences to cloud your judgment? I am quite aware that sometimes, reassurance from someone who is so obviously biased in their love for you is not enough. Just know that everything I said is the truth.”

With a small nod, Suzue sunk back into the couch and sighed again. She then looked at her mother’s guitar, which was now sitting in its stand next to the couch.

“Can I hold it?”

Sayo took the instrument from its resting place and offered it to Suzue.

“How would you feel about me teaching you how to play it, instead?”

* * *

When Tsugumi came home from work that afternoon, she found her wife and daughter asleep on the couch. Suzue was cradling Sayo’s guitar in her arms, and she was smiling happily.


	4. Back at School

“... and that is what happened.”

With a sigh, Suzue set down her chopsticks on the soft blue cloth that was spread out on the bench next to her. It was Monday, and after an awkward silence between them during morning classes, she had been the one to invite Chiaki to lunch today. Suzue had just finished giving her friend a brief explanation of the events since their last lunch break together, and now she was waiting for some kind of reaction. The girl in question, who was wearing her pink hair tied into a bow behind her head today, seemed to be in no rush, however, and simply continued to eat. After several minutes that felt more like an hour, she finally put down her food and turned to look at Suzue.

“I don’t get it.”

Chiaki frowned.

“Why you think spending time with your family is weird, I mean. I’m not really good at understanding complicated stuff. Thanks for telling me, anyway! I wasn’t really mad, but now I’m kind of less not-mad than I was before.”

Finally, she grinned, and the relief Suzue felt in that moment made her realize that she had been holding her breath for quite some time now. She took a deep breath, and somehow managed an awkward smile.

“I .. have to admit that I don’t understand it very well, myself. But I thought that I owed you some kind of explanation, at least, for simply disappearing the way I did. I am sorry.”

Suzue busied herself with the remains of her lunch for a while, still not exactly looking at the other girl. Once she had finished eating and wrapped the cloth around her bento box, Chiaki was suddenly in front of her and without any warning, she received a gentle flick against her forehead.

“Ouch! Chiaki, what are you-”

Her friend grinned widely, and when Suzue realized what she had just said, she started to blush almost immediately.

“You called me by my first name! That’s new! I think I like that better than Chii-chan, actually. It sounds more like you. Anyway, you looked like you were thinking bad things again, so I thought I’d make you stop.”

Chiaki snatched one last piece of fried chicken from her own lunch before she started packing up, herself. When she was done, she turned to look at Suzue again, who was still blushing, but had gone quiet in the meantime.

“You know, I still don’t really get it, but if you’re not sure about going straight home after school today, how about you come over to my place? It’s kind of noisy with my little brothers around, but if you’re okay with that, it might be nice. And I can’t bear the thought of my best friend not coming to visit my house at least once!”

The pink-haired girl laid the back of her hand across her own forehead in a dramatic gesture, but while she was still wearing a small grin, Suzue got the impression that she was witnessing something of a rare, vulnerable moment.

“I wouldn’t want to impose, but if it’s alright with you and your family.. I think I’d like to go.”

She hesitated for a moment before she spoke again, more quietly this time.

“Thank you.”

Her friend smiled at those words, and neither of them said anything for a while. Eventually, Chiaki jumped up from the bench she had been sitting on and gave an enthusiastic nod.

“Alright then, it’s settled! Off we go, into the tiger’s den! Follow me, brave comrade!”

She grabbed her bag and wrapped up lunch box and, without further ado, marched off in the general direction of the main gate.

“I think the expression you’re looking for is ‘into the lion’s den’. But before that .. wait! We still have afternoon classes to attend! Chiaki!”

Suzue quickly went to pick up her own things and then rushed after the other girl, who was already making her way across the courtyard at a comfortable pace, a wide grin once more spreading across her face.

* * *

Suzue had somehow managed to convince her friend to go back to class, so after they had spent the afternoon sitting through a couple of particularly boring lessons that had Chiaki almost falling asleep in the seat next to her, several times, the two girls were now finally on their way home.

“Can you believe Fujiwara-sensei surprised us with that math quiz? I thought she was our ally! I trusted her, and she betrayed me with a snap of her fingers! Just like that!”

Chiaki, who was walking along the road next to a small river, suddenly snapped her fingers, startling Suzue. She was walking behind the pink-haired girl and had been listening to her complain about this matter for at least five minutes now. Somehow, she got the impression that math was not her friend’s favorite subject.

“The test was announced last week, Chiaki. I believe that you were asleep at the time, however, so I suppose it’s possible that you do not remember. Did you not see the note that I slipped into your bag?”

“Oooh! So that’s what that was!”

Her friend turned around and was suddenly walking backwards, observing the taller girl with a frown.

“You really need to work on your handwriting, you know. I thought it said ‘let’s get ice cream after school next week’. I’d been wondering about that, since it’s still kind of chilly and all, so this makes a lot more sense.”

Her face turning a deep shade of red, Suzue rushed past the other girl until she was walking in front of her.

“We should hurry, Nakamura-san. The day is not going to get any shorter.”

The embarrassment could be heard in her voice as she walked towards the station at a swift pace. Chiaki, who was struggling to rush after the girl, tried to suppress a giggle.

“Aw, Suzu-chan! Come on, don’t be mad at me! And I’d just gotten you to start using my first name, too!”

She let her friend pout for a while longer, but as they were getting closer to the station, the girl eventually spoke up again.

“Actually, uh .. do you know where I live? I don’t take the train to school, and we’ve been walking in the wrong direction for at least two minutes now.”

Suzue stopped in her tracks almost immediately, not turning around even when Chiaki caught up to her. The shorter girl leaned forward to peer at the face of the brunette, who was blushing even deeper now.

“You have no idea, do you?”

Chiaki grinned brightly.

“Okay, I got it. Let’s go.”

She turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction with a cheerful hum. It took a moment for Suzue to move again, but when she did, she simply followed her friend without a word.

Chiaki didn’t stop grinning until they arrived at her house.


	5. Home

“Big sis! Welcome home!”

Suzue had barely shut the door behind them when a small bundle of energy came rushing their way, throwing himself against Chiaki and hugging the girl tight. She stumbled back half a step, but seemed otherwise braced for the impact.

“Oof! Yuuta, I thought I told you to stop doing that! You’re getting almost as big as I am, and I was never all that tall in the first place.”

Chiaki ruffled her brother’s short, brown hair with a smile before eventually hugging him back.

“I’m home.”

The boy seemed pleased with his sister’s response, and flashed her a large grin. He looked to be around the right age to have just entered elementary school. Watching the two of them, Suzue felt a bit out of place, so she took a step back and simply waited. Chiaki, meanwhile, glanced towards the end of the hall, where another face was poking out from behind the doorway.

“You can come out, too, Daiki! Suzu-chan won’t eat you. At least I think she won’t. You won’t eat him, right?”

She turned to regard her friend with a mild frown.

“I .. refrain from eating people, as a general rule.”

Suzue let out a sigh at Chiaki’s antics, but she couldn’t hide the small smile on her face. The first brother, Yuuta, meanwhile looked up at the brunette like he had noticed her for the first time.

“Woah! Another big sis. I don’t know you, but you’re pretty. Hi!”

He grinned at her, and Chiaki stifled a giggle. Suzue, meanwhile, blushed slightly. She was not used to dealing with children, and the blunt statement threw her off.

“Ah .. thank you. You’re Yuuta, correct? My name is Suzue. I’m your sister’s classmate.”

The boy nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

“Okay! I’ll call you Suzu-nee. Big sis, what’s for dinner tonight?”

He turned to look at Chiaki, who was now trying even harder not to laugh. The face from the end of the hallway turned out to be another boy, a bit older than the first. He was slowly, carefully making his way towards them.

“I’m going to make yaki udon! As much as you can eat, and then some!”

Chiaki proudly puffed out her chest, and gave her brother a pat on the head before taking off her shoes and changing into a pair of slippers. When she was done, she walked over to the other boy and wrapped him up in a hug. He tried to escape, but his sister wasn’t having it and only hugged him tighter.

“Trying to run is useless, you know. I know where you live. You like yaki udon too, right, Suzu-chan?”

Suzue blinked a few times, still a bit overwhelmed by the scene, but eventually nodded.

“I do, but .. I hadn’t been planning to stay for dinner. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you or your family.”

“You have to, Suzu-nee! Big sis makes the best yaki udon! And she always makes too much, so we’re gonna need help eating it!”

Yuuta gave her a determined look. Chiaki smiled at that, and gave the boy she was holding another squeeze before she released him. He took a small step back, and with a blush on his face, he finally mumbled a quiet “welcome home, sis”.

“You heard Yuuta! His word is pretty much law around here, so you’d better prepare to eat your fill. This guy, by the way .. “

Chiaki placed her hands on the other boy’s shoulders and gently shoved him in the direction of her classmate.

“.. is Daiki. He’s not very good with strangers. Come on, say hello.”

Daiki looked at the floor in front of him, still blushing from before. The boy was almost as tall as his sister, and he had the same bright pink hair. He seemed fairly shy compared to his siblings, however, so Suzue gave him a smile and introduced herself first.

“Hello, Daiki. My name is Hikawa Suzue, and I go to school with your sister. It is nice to meet you.”

The older brother nodded, and when he finally raised his head and looked up at her, it was with a shy smile.

“I’m Nakamura Daiki, and I’m in the fifth year of elementary school. Nice to meet you.”

Daiki gave Suzue a slight bow. Surprised, she returned the gesture, and the boy seemed satisfied. Chiaki watched them with a curious look, tilting her head to the side a bit.

“Suzu-chan, you probably need to call your parents, right? I’ll start preparations for dinner, so we’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done. Come on, guys, who wants to help me?”

At her words, Yuuta raised his hand and rushed towards the end of the hall, where the kitchen seemed to be.

“I’ll help! I can use a knife now, so I can cut the veggies!”

Daiki looked at Suzue again and bowed his head before he turned to follow his brother.

“I’ll help, too.”

Chiaki watched them with a smile, and once both of her brothers had left the hallway, she flashed Suzue a quick grin.

“Don’t take too long, or we’ll start eating without you!”

She turned around and followed the boys into the kitchen, leaving behind a mildly confused and slightly overwhelmed Suzue.

* * *

“I will be having dinner at a friend’s house tonight, so I will be home later than I usually am. Please go ahead and eat without me.”

After sending a message to her parents to inform them about her sudden change of plans, Suzue took a deep breath and, for the first time, got a chance to take a good look at her surroundings.

The house Chiaki’s family lived in was a Japanese-style home, and a fair bit older than the building her own apartment was located in. The entranceway she was currently standing in seemed rather modest, but the house felt comfortable, and very much like a home.

When she took off her shoes, she found that the only pair of slippers that wasn’t much too large for her was one decorated with bright yellow bunnies. With a sigh that was almost inaudible, she put them on, trying to ignore the blush that was again spreading across her face when she made her way into the kitchen.

* * *

Chiaki and her brothers had set to preparing their meal with a level of speed and efficiency that left her dumbfounded, and though Suzue offered to help several times, she quickly ended up banished to the dinner table with a cup of freshly brewed tea in her hands, watching the siblings work with a soft smile.

Once the food was ready, Suzue asked her friend to let her help set the table, at least, and so they finished the rest of the preparations together, loading the low table with a huge plate of stir-fried noodles and vegetables, as well as several individual bowls and more cups of tea.

Dinner itself turned out to be a surprisingly quiet affair. Chiaki asked her brothers about their day, and both Yuuta and Daiki told her about what had happened at school, but for the most part, everyone was too busy eating to have much conversation. Luckily, they seemed to be enjoying their meal, and it was not an uncomfortable silence.

When everyone was done with their food, Chiaki went to gather the used bowls and, after a quick glance at their sister, the boys excused themselves and went back to their room. 

Suzue, meanwhile, found moving to be quite the challenge. All of the siblings in turn had insisted that she have seconds, even the quiet Daiki, and, as she had found it increasingly difficult to decline politely, the brunette had eventually relented.

“Do you always eat together like this, Chiaki?”

Her friend, who was currently moving the leftovers into a yet another bowl which she then placed in the refrigerator, seemed to consider the question for a moment before she nodded.

“Pretty much! Dad’s home pretty late most days, so I usually cook for the three of us and save him something in case he hasn’t eaten at work. They like helping me in the kitchen, especially Yuuta, so it’s not too bad, and I get to spend a lot of time with my brothers.”

Chiaki grinned, but it wasn’t as bright as usual, and Suzue got the impression that she shouldn’t ask too many questions. She could not help but wonder, though.

“What about your mother?”

The grin started to crack at this question, and Chiaki turned around to busy herself with the dirty dishes that had yet to be washed. The room got quiet, but after a while, she let out a sigh.

“We don’t have a mother. Not really. She lives with another family now, and I help dad take care of my brothers. He works a lot, so someone has to help around the house, right?”

Her words were sad, but at the same time, it felt like she had come to terms with what she told Suzue. The heavy atmosphere, however, left no doubt that the topic was still delicate.

“I’m sorry. It must be difficult to take care of your family almost on your own.”

Suzue lowered her gaze to watch the cup of tea in front of her, tracing the rim with her index finger.

“It’s alright! I’m kind of used to it at this point. Besides .. “

Chiaki set down the cleaned dishes and walked back to the table, sitting down across from her friend.

“.. I like spending time with my family. And I can still go to school, and talk to my friends and stuff; it’s not that bad! So stop being all gloomy. I didn’t invite you over so you’d feel bad for me, but I can’t exactly hide it, you know?”

“You’re right, of course. I apologize.”

Suzue raised her head to look at Chiaki, who was smiling now. It seemed genuine this time. The moment she opened her mouth to say something else, however, they both heard the front door open.

“I’m home!”

A man’s voice echoed through the small house. Only a few seconds later, Yuuta and Daiki came running from their room.

“Dad’s home! Hi dad, welcome home!”

They both rushed towards the entrance to greet their father, who met them halfway, scooping up the shorter Yuuta with a tired, but genuine smile, and ruffling Daiki’s hair.

“Hello, boys. Did you have a good day?”

Nakamura Akihiko was a tall man, with tousled brown hair and otherwise unassuming features. He was already busy chatting with his sons when Chiaki got up from the table and went to greet him in the hallway. Suzue got up, as well, and followed her friend with some distance.

“Hi, dad. I saved you some leftovers from dinner, if you’re hungry. We made yaki udon. Do you want me to get the bath ready?”

Her father turned to look at Chiaki, and he greeted his daughter with a smile.

“Hello, Chiaki. Thank you. I had some food at work earlier, but to be honest, I’m still a bit hungry. I’ll take a bath later, so .. “

He trailed off when he noticed Suzue, and gave the girl an even bigger smile.

“We have a guest, I see! Welcome, welcome. I’m Nakamura Akihiko, it’s nice to meet you.”

Since both boys were clinging to him, he greeted Suzue with only a bow of his head. The brunette was surprised to be treated like an adult, so she hesitated for a moment before responding with a greeting of her own.

“It is nice to meet you, Nakamura-san. My name is Hikawa Suzue, and I am Chiaki’s classmate from school. Pardon the intrusion.”

Suzue gave a proper bow.

“If you will excuse me, it is getting late, and I should be on my way. Thank you for your hospitality.”

She looked over at Chiaki with a small smile before making her way towards the door to change into her shoes. The other girl blinked, obviously surprised, but then nodded a moment later.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Suzu-chan!”

“Will you be alright on your own, Hikawa-san? I can drive you home, if you’d like.”

Suzue shook her head.

“Thank you for the offer, but the sun is still up and I can get home with a single train, so I will be fine. Have a good evening. Goodbye, Yuuta, Goodbye, Daiki. I will see you at school, Chiaki.”

With that, Suzue opened the front door and gave another quick bow before leaving the house. She’d barely begun her walk towards the station, but she was already lost in deep thought. How different families could be.


	6. Eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suzue finds her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> It's finally time to finish this little story with with the last chapter.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.

Over the course of the next few days, Suzue found herself thinking a lot. She went to school, as she usually did, and she had lunch with Chiaki, as she usually did. After school, she spent time with her family, and when it was time for dinner, they ate together, but something was different.

When she came home from school on Thursday afternoon, Suzue was met by her parents in the lobby of their apartment building.

“Suzue-chan! Welcome home!”

A cheerful Tsugumi greeted her daughter without hesitation after she’d spotted the girl walking through the door, and Sayo, who was holding Tsugumi’s hand, gave her a gentle smile.

“Welcome back, Suzue. We were about to head to the supermarket for groceries; it shouldn’t take more than an hour. There is some pudding in the refrigerator, if you’d like something to eat before dinner.”

Suzue nodded, visibly surprised. It was rare for both of her parents to be home at the same time like this.

“I’m home. Alright, thank you.”

She smiled at them and started to walk in the direction of the elevators. After only a few steps, however, she was hit by a sudden realization and turned around to rush back towards the couple, who were just about to leave the building.

“Wait! I’ll go with you!”

* * *

The trip to the supermarket was a bit awkward. Instead of walking between her parents like she usually would, Suzue was trailing a few steps behind. Judging from the slight blush on her face and the way she was fidgeting with the strap of her bag, she seemed rather nervous.

“Did .. did you have a good day at work?”

Suzue was looking at Tsugumi when she asked the question. Her job at the café always started early, so she would usually be back during the early afternoon, before Suzue came home from school.

“I did! Thank you for asking. We’ve had more customers coming in for breakfast lately, probably since the weather is getting nicer, and it’s been a little challenging to take good care of all of them! But once the rush ends, it’s always really calm, so I had time to do some decorating around the café.”

Tsugumi turned to look at her daughter.

“How about you? How was school?”

The girl considered the question for a while before she answered.

“It was alright. Fujiwara-sensei graded our math quiz, and my results were fine, but I was surprised to see that Chiaki managed to get a passing grade somehow. I’m glad she didn’t fail, though.”

Her parents turned to look at each other when she mentioned her friend’s name.

“When you say Chiaki, you are referring to Nakamura-san? Your classmate?”

It was Sayo’s turn to ask this time. Instead of giving her an answer, though, Suzue lowered her gaze and simply nodded, as her blush was deepening. When Sayo turned to look at her, she couldn’t help but smile a little.

“I see. That is indeed nice to hear. I excused myself at work today so I could attend a rehearsal with the other members of Roselia, but Minato-san and Lisa-san had an urgent matter to take care of after lunchtime, and so we finished early and I returned home at this unusual hour. Ah, we’re here.”

Suzue looked up to see that they had indeed reached the supermarket. It was fairly busy, since many people were inclined to do their shopping after work, and so the small family had to take care not to bump into anyone as they made their way inside. Once they were out of the way of other customers, Sayo turned to look at her wife.

“Tsugumi-san, you mentioned that you were planning to prepare sukiyaki for dinner, if I am not mistaken. Would you like me to see if I can find some appropriate cuts of beef?”

Tsugumi smiled at her and nodded.

“Yes! That would be really helpful. Thank you, Sayo-san.”

As she was watching her mother make her way towards the meat display, Suzue shuffled a little closer to Tsugumi, who had taken the shopping list from her purse and was examining it with a mild frown.

“Maybe some mushrooms would be nice, too .. I’ll have to check if any are on sale. They’ve been so expensive lately..”

“Um ..”

Suddenly, Tsugumi felt a small weight tugging on her sleeve. When she turned around to investigate the source, she found her Suzue standing right next to her. The brown-haired girl, who had grown just a little taller than Tsugumi herself during this last year, was gripping the sleeve of her cardigan, her face flushed bright red.

“Suzue-chan .. ?”

Tsugumi watched her daughter, clearly confused but also curious.

“Mama, do we .. need any eggs?”

Sayo had been on her way back to join the rest of her family when she noticed her daughter’s flustered state and stopped in her tracks. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to grab something from a nearby shelf, giving the two a moment of privacy while also staying close enough to listen to their conversation. When she heard Suzue ask the innocent question, she couldn’t help but smile and whisper to herself:

“Fufu.. it seems that someone has finally made up her mind.”

* * *

Preparations for dinner that evening were frequently interrupted by Tsugumi, who seemed to be feeling the urge to wrap their daughter in a tight hug at random intervals for the rest of the day. Every now and then, Suzue made a weak attempt to protest, but all things considered, she seemed to be enjoying her mother’s attention.

For a while, Sayo simply kept watching them with a soft smile, but when Tsugumi started calling their daughter “Suzu-chan”, she could no longer help herself and burst into a fit of giggles.

* * *

Later that night, when it was time for bed, Tsugumi was still smiling, humming a quiet tune to herself while she got ready. When she slipped under the covers to join her wife, Sayo reached out and took hold of Tsugumi’s hand, showing her a gentle smile. Few things made Sayo happier than to see the woman she loved being her bright and cheerful self. It was as if Tsugumi’s presence alone brightened the entire room, and even after spending so many years by her side, it still made her heart race. If there was one thing that Sayo could say with certainty, it was that she would never get tired of this feeling.

“You seem happy, Tsugumi-san. I am glad.”

Tsugumi gently squeezed Sayo’s hand before shuffling a bit closer and resting her head on her wife’s shoulder.

“Of course I’m happy. Who wouldn’t be happy with a family like this one?”

Sayo wrapped her arm around Tsugumi to pull her even closer. She then leaned in to close the remaining distance between them, watching her wife’s gentle smile as she closed her eyes in anticipation, when there was a sudden knock at the door. Somehow, Sayo managed to contain the sound of immense displeasure that was threatening to escape from her lips. Tsugumi had opened her eyes at the sound of the door, and when she saw the look on Sayo’s face, she couldn’t help but giggle quietly before she eventually raised her voice.

“Suzue-chan, is that you? Come on in.”

There was a brief pause before the door finally opened and Suzue, dressed in a pair of plain blue pajamas, shuffled into the room. She stopped just beyond the door, looking down with a mild blush.

“I was .. wondering, if it’s alright, that maybe I could .. perhaps, if you don’t mind .. “

Tsugumi seemed a little confused, but she gave her daughter a soft smile nonetheless, waiting for her to continue. Sayo’s lips were twitching slightly at the corners.

“Mama, can I .. can I sleep here with the two of you tonight?”

The smile on Tsugumi’s face brightened in an instant. She squeezed Sayo’s hand one more time and then shifted to the side of the bed to make some space in the middle. Her wife gave her a look that might have been the equivalent of a defeated sigh, but it did not last longer than a second before Sayo’s expression softened considerably, and she, too, moved to the side of the bed, patting the space that had been created between them.

“Of course. There is always room for you, Suzue. Come here.”

Suzue gave a small, hesitant nod, and after closing the door to the bedroom behind her, she approached the bed and finally slipped under the covers, filling up the warm space between her parents that had been waiting for her.

* * *

When the first rays of sunshine made their way through the blinds and gently roused Tsugumi from her sleep, the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Sayo, holding their daughter close. She found herself lingering in bed just a few minutes longer that morning, enjoying a brief moment of pure happiness as she watched her small family with the softest of smiles.


End file.
